A Dodge Durango driven by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy on Oct. 5, 2025.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A Sonoma County sheriff's deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave, months after he crashed into a 78-year-old driver pulling out of a parking lot in Santa Rosa, and later died.
K-9 Deputy Samuel Camarena Cruz was placed on leave earlier this month, said sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia.
The crash happened as the deputy was trying to catch up to two speeding drivers in Santa Rosa on Oct. 5, 2025.
Surveillance video
Dig deeper:
Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows the deputy driving a Dodge Durango on Santa Rosa Avenue near Todd Road.
The video captured the sound of the deputy's SUV T-boning a Ford Fusion driven by Robert Cydear, 78, who had just pulled out of the parking lot of the Friedman's Home Improvement store.
The front of the patrol car hit the left front of Cydear's Ford.
Cydear, a military veteran and widower who lived with his dog, later died at a hospital.
The deputy and his K-9, a Belgian malinois, suffered minor injuries.
Authorities confirmed the same deputy crashed into the back of another deputy's car in 2020.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting, Sonoma County sheriff's office